Introduction
Discussing the challenges that older adults face is a step toward providing adequate and high-quality care. Some of the issues of older adults living in rural areas are related to transportation. The range of barriers and challenges linked to the topic include the lack of public transportation services in rural areas, financial instability, disability, and health issues that prevent individuals from safely driving (Syed, Gerber, & Sharp, 2014).
Family Factor
Older adults miss their health care appointments because of the inability to get to a specific destination. Moreover, many elderly individuals live alone or do not have the support of their family members, which further prevents them from maintaining health on the desired level. This challenges social work and health care provision in the long run.
Staff Factor
Social and health care workers should be more attentive to the barriers associated with transportation in rural areas because the issue may lead to the misuse of emergency services, missed care, or mistakes in treatment (Hash, Jurkowski, & Krout, 2015). Professionals working closely with the older residents of rural areas must become advocates and educators of their clients. It is essential to educate the target population about the variety of alternative methods of transportation. However, it is also the job of policymakers to ensure the availability of reliable and consistent transportation that older adults in rural areas can use.
Conclusion
In my opinion, the topic requires further research and should be explored with a representative sample of older adults from rural areas to identify barriers and develop solutions to addressing them.
References
Hash, K. M., Jurkowski, E. T., & Krout, J. A. (2015). Aging in rural places: policies, programs, and professional practice. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.
Syed, S. T., Gerber, B. S., & Sharp, L. K. (2013). Traveling towards disease: transportation barriers to health care access. Journal of Community Health, 38(5), 976-993.